“You’re peeling so slowly, I helped you peel them,” Gu Yu said.

Whoa, guys with girlfriends are really thoughtful, huh!

“Thanks!”

Gu Yu smiled and filled my glass. “Shall we have another round?”

No matter what I said that night, he’d always respond with this, clinking glasses with me one after another. Before long, I was completely drunk, barely able to walk. He leaned in closer, his face near mine, and said, “What should we do? I’m feeling dizzy… looks like I can’t make it back.”

“Is your dorm bed big? Can the two of us fit?”

05

With how narrow our dorm beds are, two guys sleeping on one bed would be like stacking on top of each other. That won’t work.

Gu Yu paid for dinner before I could, and since he came all the way to see me, I didn’t want to make him suffer by sleeping on a small bed in my dorm. I patted my pocket.

“I’ll book you a hotel nearby. You can stay here, and I’ll head back.”

Gu Yu looked a bit disappointed, probably because he couldn’t visit my dorm. Once the room was booked, he asked, “Want to come up for some tea?”

“No thanks! I’m not that drunk!”

As I leaned against the wall, he tugged at my clothes again. I saw his tall, 185cm frame towering over my 178cm self as he pursed his lips.

“Stay with me, please. I’m scared.”

What could I do? I agreed to stay with him. He carried me up to the room since I was too tipsy to walk straight. The moment the lights turned on and the card clicked into the slot, the sight of the white sheets and big bed felt… off.

Is it really okay for two guys to share a big bed?

I originally booked the room just for him, without any intention of staying. Gu Yu put me on the bed, and I felt his warm hand touch my ankle. Startled, I jerked back.

“What are you doing?!”

“Helping you take off your shoes.”

“I can do it myself.”

Grumbling, I tried to stand up and wobblingly kicked off my shoes, only to collapse onto the carpet. My mind was clear, but my body wasn’t cooperating. Gu Yu lifted me back onto the bed, and with a pounding headache, I gave up resisting as he took off my socks.

But then, he accidentally fell on top of me.

Our faces were inches apart, noses almost touching, and the way he looked at me didn’t feel entirely innocent.

Just then, his phone rang.

I suddenly remembered — he had a girlfriend.

But instead of answering, Gu Yu stared at my lips, swallowed, and hung up the call.

06

The next morning, I woke up shirtless, completely confused. Gu Yu, however, was calm.

“You threw up all over your clothes last night.”

I didn’t remember that at all. Still, I thanked him.

After that dinner, my relationship with Gu Yu grew stronger. We started chatting about more than just “good morning” and “goodnight.” We shared funny stories from our lives. During the week, we’d chat; on weekends, we’d hang out. This went on for weeks.

I figured Gu Yu’s girlfriend must be busy, and with his dormmates always hanging out with their own partners, he must’ve felt lonely on weekends.

Recently, my dormmate Liang Qing has been obsessed with an online crush who’s a “top.” Today, though, he seemed upset, pacing around the dorm with his phone in hand.

“It’s so late, and my boyfriend still hasn’t replied to my goodnight message! Ugh!”

Wait, even Liang Qing sends goodnight messages?

Turns out he’s trendy too!

I chuckled. “So you send goodnight messages to guys too, huh? That’s pretty trendy.”

Liang Qing shot me a look like I was crazy. “I don’t just send goodnight to any guy! That’s something personal—I only send it to my boyfriend!”

“Goodnight messages are personal?”

I laughed, “You don’t get it, do you? Trendy guys send goodnight to their bros all the time.”

Liang Qing leaned in, his face full of curiosity. “Wait, are you saying some guy has been sending you goodnight? Is he good-looking?”

“Yeah, a trendy guy.”

“And you reply?”

“Yeah.”

Liang Qing slapped his thigh. “My goodness, that’s proof! You’ve been hit on by a guy! Watch out for your butt!”

“Nonsense!” I snapped back but instinctively covered my rear.

“Gu Yu has a girlfriend, there’s no way he’s gay,” I declared firmly.

Liang Qing rolled his eyes. “You don’t believe me? Let me teach you a test to see if he’s really straight.”

He handed me a drink. “Take a picture of this drink and send it to him, saying it tastes good.”

It sounded pointless, but I was curious, so I did it. After sending the picture and message, I watched as Liang Qing crossed his arms confidently.

“If he responds by asking about the drink, he’s straight. But if he says something else…”

“What, like if he’s gay?”

“Exactly. If he comments on anything other than the drink, he’s interested in you.”

I rolled my eyes, thinking how ridiculous it was. But sure enough, my phone buzzed with Gu Yu’s messages.

“Why send me a picture today?”

“In a good mood? Next time, will it be a video?”

“You’re so cute.”

Completely innocent.

I smirked and showed Liang Qing the messages, but he jumped up in disbelief.

“Oh my god, isn’t that proof? No way would Guan Yu call Zhang Fei cute!!”

I ignored him, climbed onto my bed, and closed the curtain. Following his silly advice was pointless.

I lay comfortably in bed and opened my phone again. There were more unread messages from Gu Yu.

“Your hands are so pale.”

“The shape of your nails is perfect.”

“Xia Huai, your fingers are so soft. Why are your knuckles a little pink?”

07

I’m slim, so my fingers are long and slender. My pale skin makes the joints turn reddish when touched or exposed to cold water.

Remembering Liang Qing’s words, I panicked and didn’t reply to Gu Yu. Instead, I turned off my phone and went to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up to even more messages from Gu Yu.

“Did you fall asleep?”

“You’re going to bed early tonight.”

“That’s good—early to bed, early to rise.”